Page 95 of Two Wrongs

I pull my keys out of my pocket. “I’m going to go home and pack.”

Charlie goes the other way around the desk and stands in front of the door. “It’s late. You are not leaving and heading to Florida tonight.”

“I can go for a few hours, and then I’ll stop at a motel. Even if I ride all day tomorrow I won’t make it there until late at night,” I argue.

“You don’t even know where you’re going,” he says.

“Hattie lives in Clearwater. I helped Liam send some stuff to her there when they closed up Wren’s childhood home.”

“People move. Isn’t her aunt like a nurse or something? There’s no way she’s still living in the same place she was in when she was back in school,” Charlie asserts.

“How do you know so much about Wren’s family?”

“This is a small town, Griff. Not only that, but there aren’t a lot of people who can boast doing better than having a job at one of the three factories in town. You are one of the most successful people in town since you own your own business.”

“I’d say the owners of the factories are more successful,” I dismiss.

He rolls his eyes. “Those are national corporations. The owners don’t live in this town. They exploit it for labor, but other than some low paying jobs, they don’t contribute very much here.”

I toss up my hands. “Okay, if you know so much about her, where does her aunt live?”

He shrugs and I swear I could punch him in the face. “Chill out bro. I don’t know whereHattielives, but I do know she’s got a few friends from school she keeps in touch with. Let me make some calls. I’ll get you an address.”

I jingle my keys. “Text them to me. I’m not waiting anymore to bring her home.”

“You’re a stubborn asshole. Fine, you be safe and don’t drive drowsy.”

I nod. “Sorry to leave you alone with the shop.”

He waves me away. “Yeah, yeah. I should buy this business from you since I seem to be the one running it.”

I point at him. “That might not be such a bad idea.”

He narrows his eyes. “What are you thinking?”

“Just that actions speak louder than words. Bess told me I needed to do some romance novel worthy groveling, and you just gave me an idea.”

As I exit the building Charlie shouts after me, “You know it’s terrifying when you get an idea.”

38

Wren

“I thought I might find you out here,” Patrick says as he drops down on the bench next to me.

Lifting my hair off my neck, I wipe it free of sweat. “Sorry. My head started swimming. I got too hot or something.”

“It’s pretty slow today. Take the time you need. I’d tell you to go home, but—“

“I’m fine,” I argue before he can insist I go home. “It was just a little stomach bug. Really, I’m fine.”

He exhales. “When a woman says fine, especially more than once, it usually means the opposite.”

The door to the kitchen opens, carrying with it the smell of the day’s special, corned beef hash. Nausea hits me instantly, and I jump off the bench and vomit into the bushes along the privacy fence.

Patrick covers his mouth, gagging. “That’s it. Go home. Better yet, go to the doctor.”

Hattie’s friend or not, no boss is going to want to keep an employee who takes time off a few days after starting a job.

---